Water and sewer work could be done in July

By TOM LAVENTURE

tlaventure@yourdailyglobe.com

Ironwood — Work on Ironwood’s $2 million water and sewer project involving several areas of the city could be completed by the end of July, according to the project engineer at the city commission meeting on Monday.

The city commission 5-0 approved a $22,326 change order for Jake’s Excavating and Landscaping, LLC, the project contractor. The change included $9,108 for the water line portion and $13,218 for the sewer line portion.

“We’ve run into some things, many of them very routine, that we need to add to the contract,” said Jeff Sjoquist, the managing principal engineer of Coleman Engineering Co., the city’s engineering consulting firm.

Unexpected costs on the Lake Avenue water and sewer reconstruction and street replacement project from Curry Street to Lake Street, were for “breaker run,” which is rock material larger than gravel for increased load bearing capacity, he said. The existing soils were not holding up well under traffic and construction vehicles and the decision to go ahead with the special fill will help complete the street reconstruction in a more timely manner, he said.

The paving work on Lake Avenue will also start fairly soon, Sjoquist said. The concrete is going to be done this week and that itself will make a drivable surface, he said.

Water and sewer line replacement work is underway at West Pewabic Street, he said. The work on Chestnut Street is completed and paving is scheduled to start soon. Gravel is currently being place on a section of Van Buskirk Road.

“So the job is coming along good,” Sjoquist said. “There is nothing too terribly out of the ordinary and I think we’re still looking at an end of July completion date for this.”

In a related item the city commission approved a $378,321 partial payment to Jake’s Excavating and Landscaping for the water and sewer project.

City manager Scott Erickson updated the city commission on the chip seal project work underway in conjunction with Gogebic County Road Commission on Ayer Street from Lake Street to South Davis Road, with work on Bonnie Road from Ayer Street to Southwest Street.

The second phase of a Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund grant project to build two parking lots and a connector trail from the Iron Belle Trail to Miners Heritage Memorial Park is also underway. The parking lot work is completed at the Bonnie Road and Ayer Street location with amenities including a concrete pad and trail construction currently underway.

In the public comment portion of the meeting, J.C. Duranso, licensing administrator for the Fire Station Cannabis Co., called from the corporate office in Negaunee, to thank the commission for tentatively approving the company’s class C grower license allows for up to 2,000 plants on Thursday. The company also applied for an adult use marijuana retail license but was not among the top two candidates for the two available retail licenses.

Duranso encouraged the city to follow through on city commissioner and city planning commission member recommendations to consider expanding the adult use licenses in each category of grower, processor and retailer from two to four. The Fire Station invested more than $40,000 into rehabilitating an existing structure and, if the retail license were approved, the investment could surpass $1.8 million, along with providing jobs and a boost to the local economy, she said.

Commissioner Kim Corcoran asked that the discussion item be placed on the next agenda.

In other business, the city commission approved:

—Amending the cemetery’s ordinance to change the ash crypt location.

—Scheduling a public hearing to consider an ordinance limiting the numbers of dogs and cats in a dwelling within city limits for 5:20 p.m. Monday, July 26.

—Providing a city vehicle for the Superior Alliance for Independent Living director to use during the summer work based learning program.

—Department of Public Works bid advertisements for 2,000 tons of winter street sand; 3,000 tons of 22A road gravel; replacement of water main fittings and valves for U.S. 2 and Harrison Street.

—A $23,000 partial pay application to JCS, Inc. for mine shaft safety fencing and Jessieville elevated storage tank fencing.

—A resolution amending the general appropriations act to reflect changes in anticipated and actual revenues and expenditures for fiscal year 2020-21.

—$4,072 for additional tuck work on the Memorial Building and Mausoleum project with Ram Construction Service of Michigan, Inc., for a project total of $23,072.